How campus fleets can optimize every dollar

Fleet operations at higher education institutions often represent multi-million dollar budgets with significant untapped potential for savings. The typical institution manages an average of 368 vehicles, yet many administrators struggle to answer basic questions about those assets: Which vehicles are underutilized? Where does fuel waste occur? How much time do staff spend locating equipment? When should we retire or replace aging vehicles? For fleets spanning student shuttles, utility trucks, landscaping equipment and paratransit vehicles, these blind spots mean inefficiencies stay hidden until budget overruns or service failures expose them.

This realization is driving higher education leaders to rethink fleet operations as a data problem, not just a transportation or facilities issue. By gaining real-time visibility into how assets move, where resources get consumed and which processes create bottlenecks, institutions can transform fleet operations from a financial burden into a strategic advantage—one that optimizes every dollar, boosts worker productivity and improves the campus experience.

Disconnected systems create operational blind spots

Whether managing a compact urban campus or sprawling rural facilities, fleet operations create natural visibility gaps that drain productivity in ways that compound over time: vital equipment gets misplaced across hundreds of acres, audits take hours across multiple locations and high-value assets disappear without anyone noticing. For institutions managing everything from utility vehicles to student shuttles and landscaping equipment, these gaps don’t just waste time—they waste money. 

Michigan State University is one institution that is using technology to gain visibility into their operations and eliminate these gaps. For example, staff previously spent 9-12 hours driving around campus with auditors to locate equipment. That’s more than a full workday devoted to what should be a straightforward inventory check.

Real-time asset tracking transformed MSU’s approach. The institution deployed Samsara Asset Tag on more than 200 capital assets worth $5,000 each, protecting a total of approximately $1 million in equipment. In one incident, when equipment was stolen overnight from a shop, Asset Tag data helped MSU track it to an apartment complex and recover it with police assistance.

“Without Asset Tag, we wouldn’t have realized the equipment was gone,” said Matt Bailey, landscape services manager at MSU. “Every asset we recover is an asset we don’t need to replace. The cost immediately pays for itself.”

Idling engines burn cash

Visibility gaps aren’t just about locating equipment—they obscure how assets are actually used. Without that insight, institutions waste money on fuel, pay for underutilized equipment sitting idle and often maintain larger-than-necessary fleets.

After using Samsara Fleet Telematics to implement alerts and integrate idling metrics into performance goals, MSU reduced fleet-wide idling by 71%, saving $60,000 annually on fuel waste alone. That’s budget that can be redirected toward student services, deferred maintenance or other pressing priorities.

The data also reveals productivity patterns that weren’t previously visible. The system tracks run time data, revealing when equipment like mowers are actively working versus just being transported, enabling more productive, data-driven conversations with operators. “Now that we’re able to set alerts for idling, drivers know we’re setting ambitious reduction goals,” says Joe Grulke, fleet manager for MSU Landscape Services. “As a result, they’re proactively reducing idling themselves.”

Reactive maintenance drains budgets

Waiting until something breaks to fix it costs institutions far more than planned maintenance ever would. Reactive approaches turn every equipment failure into an operational disruption that requires emergency repairs at inflated prices.

Automated, data-driven workflows catch problems early, before they escalate into expensive failures. After integrating Samsara data with their maintenance software, MSU teams now save 3-4 hours per week on manual tasks and equipment lasts longer. As a result, the institution has seen a 30% increase in the time between preventive maintenance cycles, meaning assets stay in service longer before requiring intervention.

The financial impact has been significant: MSU saves $15,000 annually on specific machines by optimizing preventive maintenance cycles, plus an overall 30% savings in parts and labor repair costs. For budget-conscious administrators, those savings represent real dollars that can be allocated elsewhere.

Risky driving hides in plain sight

When driver behaviors are hidden, institutions can’t quickly identify risks or investigate incidents involving campus vehicles. That lack of visibility contributes to higher insurance premiums, liability exposure and the likelihood of costly safety incidents—whether that’s a bulldozer operator accused of hitting a parked car or safety concerns involving students in campus shuttles.

Modern fleet technology is changing that equation. AI Dash Cams and real-time GPS provide instant visibility into each vehicle and its occupants, enabling video retrieval in minutes and fast investigation resolution. Instead of relying on conflicting accounts or incomplete information, fleet managers can see exactly what happened and respond appropriately.

More than faster incident response, the real opportunity is preventing incidents altogether. Real-time in-cab alerts identify risky driver behaviors like cell phone use as they happen, curbing risks before they escalate into incidents. 

From waste to worth: Maximizing every asset

MSU’s experience illustrates what’s possible when institutions gain real-time visibility into their operations. “We’re tasked with being good stewards of the money we’re given to maintain the campus,” Bailey says. “Samsara helps us do that, which in turn helps ensure we’re giving students the best experience.” 

Looking ahead, MSU plans to use vehicle data to right-size its fleet and justify investments based on data, not hunches. The result is confident decision-making about which assets to keep, which to retire and where to invest next.

Everyday occurrences that once enabled operational blind spots—idling vehicles, misplaced equipment, reactive maintenance, hidden driver and passenger behaviors—carry costs that institutions can no longer afford. With integrated fleet management, institutions finally have the visibility to ensure that every asset and every dollar earns its keep.

Explore what’s possible: Learn how Samsara helps higher education institutions streamline operations and recover costs.